


Kojima High

by solidsnakessolidcakes



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Eli is a rat child, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mentions of Running Away, Sons of Big Boss, Tretij's unstable family life, my poor little boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-10 23:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18418010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solidsnakessolidcakes/pseuds/solidsnakessolidcakes
Summary: Weird, shitty HS AU of MGS. Don't expect often updates, I'm already juggling like 10 fics. I'm literally only gonna write for this when I get random inspiration.





	1. Chapter 1

Eli didn't talk much to his biological family much anymore. Which, honestly, for him, was a relief.

His dad, John, was, simply put, an asshat. He didn't care much for his kids, even actively hating Eli. Solely because Eli didn't look like him.

His mother, Eva, was clingy and overbearing. Like a helicopter parent that you only see on the weekends.

Oh, and remember how John actively hates Eli? Well, that was, of course, bound to have some kind of affect on his mental health. And it did.

He was stuck with anxiety for the rest of his life, as well as probably a few others. At times depression seemed likely. It wouldn't surprise him very much. After all, John loved to tell him how _useless_ he was.

He didn't live with John, or Eva, anymore.

He had an old babysitter, his name was Kaz, who stopped babysitting him and his boyfriend after a disagreement with his father. But, luckily, he still lived in the same place.

Eli had run away from his father. He had ran away from his brothers without a second thought, instead trying to navigate the city for the familiar apartment building.

And he had found it.

That's where he lived now. With Kaz, and his boyfriend, V. And sometimes V's friend, Quiet.

They lived far enough away that Eli got to go to a completely different school than his brother, that was the best part.

Sure, David might've been the only tolerable one in his family, but that didn't mean Eli liked him.

David had always been the golden child. He was always the one they all liked best. Teachers, Kaz, even their own fucking parents. They all liked him more.

Truth be told Eli knew why teachers didn't like him. He knew it was because he caused trouble.

But, he... he was doing it for attention, simply put. He never got any kind of attention but the negative kind at home, so that's what's normal, right? So when he wasn't yelled at at school it seemed... unnatural. But if he interrupted class, things went back to normal!

He's once again, not the most mentally healthy kid. Not many in middle school are. But Eli was graduating middle school.

While he and his brother were in separate schools that doesn't mean separate districts. That meant they both had one high school to go to.

Fucking fantastic.

At least he had friends.

Oh, apparently not. They were all, all of them, all twenty of them, were going to a different district.

Fucking  _great._

He took a deep breath, setting his alarm for tomorrow. First day of High School. How fun.

He fell into his bed with a soft floop, curling into a fetal position.

He might live with it, but that doesn't mean he has to like it, dammit.

* * *

When he walked into school he was first greeted by a redhead woman who was wearing a tank-top that definitely violated the dress code.

"David!" She shouted, waving her arm. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Great, she thought he was his brother.

As she approached her face changed in realization. He glared sharply and shoved past her, making his way up to the library. At least up there there wouldn't be as many people, right?

When he arrived he scanned the room and sure enough, not many people were there. The only people were a small group of people that looked to be about his age, playing some card game which he ignored, and a little boy he actually recognized.

His name was "Tretij", or at least, that's what all the teachers called him. He was a lanky, weak boy with curly, borderline frizzy red hair. And not just ginger, it was  _red._ He was small, shorter than average, but obviously growing very quickly.

He was wearing a surgical mask that Eli assumed was either for aesthetic reasons or because he had a terrible immune system, with a very, very baggy black sweater that looked big enough to be a dress. His face had a father large looking bruise on his jaw, a small burn mark on the bridge of his nose (the only part that was visible) and various other injuries littering his body.

Eli felt somewhat bad for him.

He stalked over, seating himself next to him even though he never cared much to talk to him. Might as well talk to someone he recognizes, right?

Tretij shifted away, pulling his criss-crossed legs up to his chest. Shy, maybe?

"My name is Eli--"

"I know," His voice was small and high-pitched, very obviously uncomfortable.

"Well, you're Tretij, right?"

"No... Not really... Call me... Mantis," He spoke slowly in choppy sentences, almost hesitant. He actually probably was.

"Mantis?" Eli parroted, raising an eyebrow. Mantis let out a slow breath before nodding, resting his chin on his raised thigh.

Eli shifted, sitting in silence. This was very uncomfortable.

"I like your hair," He blurted, getting a little too flustered.

"Thank you," Mantis said automatically, as if this had been told to him so many times it held no meaning. It probably did.

"And, I uh, I like your face. The scars on it, I mean. I don't know what they're from but they look really cool," That caught his attention. The redhead raised a nearly completely shaved off eyebrow, cocking his head to the side curiously.

"You sure?" He asked after a few seconds. He sounded... confused, "People say it ugly."

English must not be his first language. Be understanding, Eli.

"Yeah! Scars are signs that life decided to fuck with you, and you made it through. And you've got lots, so I can only imagine that you're pretty tough," He flashed his brightest smile. Mantis seemed to relax a little, the corners of his silvery blue eyes scrunching up as if he were smiling.

"Thank you," The bell rang almost deafeningly, nearly drowning out the words of the dangerously pale man. But Eli caught it. That was what counted, right?

He got up, looking at his schedule and cussed softy when he realized he knew where none of the classes were. But, before he decided to just wing it, he felt a small, bony, warm hand grab his wrist and start pulling him along. When he went to snap at them he saw red hair, and smiled slightly to himself.

Did he manage to make friends with Mantis?


	2. Chapter 2

David was not having a good time. He had already been called an asshat four times, before each time the person realized that he was, in fact, not his twin brother.

Oh, speaking of his twin brother, he had his first class with him.

And holy fucking shit that man would not  _shut his mouth._ He was pretty sure the teacher, Mr. Fury, was about to obliterate him.

Unfortunately though, Eli had managed to make friends with a good-good student. Or at least, good-good in this class.

The teacher was essentially doting on him, and it was almost as if they were close friends. The strangest thing was that most of the little jokes they made with each other were mostly about _fire_.

At least it prevented them getting a lecture thanks to Eli, right?

The next period he luckily didn't have Eli. But in this one, they had assigned spots.

The teacher, a tall woman in a suit with short white hair and sunglasses, stood in front of the class, looking completely unimpressed with everyone.

"David Sears?" She called, a soft accent to her voice.

"Here," He said almost instinctively. The woman stared at him for a solid few seconds before pointing at a seat near the middle. Not the back or the front, but somewhere in between. He could live with that.

As he was getting settled more people were given spots, and soon the table next to him had its two residents.

Their names were Meryl Silverburgh and Johnny Sasaki. They seemed to hit it off pretty well, and Meryl was kind enough to make friends with. But he hadn't gotten his table mate yet...

Speaking of, sitting themselves next to him was a skinny, mouse-ish man with a clean shaven face and glasses that looked a little too big for him.

"H-Hi, um, I'm Hal E-Emmerich..." He introduced nervously, Dave's big frame obviously making his anxious actions somewhat worse.

"Emmerich? Like the robotics teacher? Didn't he and Dr. Strangelove divorce a while ago?" Meryl practically interrogated, glancing up at the teacher.

"Oh, um, yeah," Hal said uncomfortably, picking at his nails. Dave noticed his glasses falling and pushed them up for him. He blushed, brightly at that.

"So you're the teachers daughter? And-- isn't she married to the principal!?" She asked hurriedly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, uh, J-Joy is my... o-one of my st-step moms..."

The teacher, who Dave now knew was Dr. Strangelove, turned away from the board and to the class.

"Now, everyone, as you may or may not know my name is Dr. Strangelove. You can drop the doctor if you wish, I won't yell. The principal of this school is my wonderful wife, and speaking of, if I hear anyone at all being rude to anyone based solely on their gender identity or sexuality, I can and will give you detention then and there."

A few snickers went around the class before someone's hand raised.

"Dr. Strangelove, what if the kid is really gay?" One of them asked, and Dave heard one kid mutter, "like that dickwad Eli."

"Then all the reason not to mock them," She snapped, "We're all mature here. None of you should find this... funny."

Dave saw Hal put his head down.


	3. Chapter 3

Turns out Eli had managed to become friends with Mantis. In every class they had together he sat himself right next to him, and on one occasion curled up against him in a small ball without talking. Now they were headed to lunch, walking next to each other.

"So, Mantis, what's your family like?" Eli asked, trying to make small talk. Most of their time together was spent in silence, albeit comfortable.

He visibly tensed, but he felt it up against his shoulder more than saw it.

"Ah, I'm an only child," He answered quietly and uncertainly. Eli shot him a warm smile.

"Well, my biological dad was a dickwad, so I ran away to my old babysitter's house. So, if you consider dad and father my parents-- my old babysitter and his boyfriend, then I am too. But biologically, that guy David is my twin brother, and we have a younger brother named George," He blabbered, hoping to draw more speech from his new friend.

He let out a small hum, letting the conversation drop.

They finally got to the lunchroom, glaring around the room before sitting at an empty table. Mantis, who had no lunch, sat next to him.

"Aren't you gonna get hot lunch?" Eli asked, unzipping his lunchbox.

He hummed a negative note, leaning up against him. Eli noticed that he was shaking. He wasn't shaking before.

"Are you okay?"

_Too many people._

"Did you just talk in my head?"

"Sorry."

"How did you do that?'

"I'm sorry."

"Mantis?'

"I-I'm sorry, please don't be angry at me..."

He turned, grabbing him by the shoulders. He flinched, almost violently.

"Mantis, are you crying? Are you okay?" He asked, carefully pulling the skinny boy closer. He shuddered.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing!?"

He just let out a terrified squeak. Eli took a deep breath before helping him to his feet, practically dragging him into the bathroom. He shut the stall door and carefully sat the redhead on the toilet, and after a brief moment of consideration sat on his lap.

He leaned up against him, holding his face to his chest and shushing him.

Once the poor boy had finally calmed down lunch was half-over. Eli sighed.

"Can you tell me why you were so upset?" He asked carefully, combing a hand through Mantis' hair. He just let out a small whimper.

"I... I'm a p-ps..."  _I'm a psychic._

"What?" Eli scrunched up his nose, pulling back. He let out a defeated little huff, wrapping his arms around himself loosely.

"I-I can... I can read m-minds... and st-stuff like th-that..."

"Why did you freak out, then?"

"Because I can't control it. I-If everyone is in one room it's like having over a hundred people talking-- no, yelling, all at once. And it never calms down."

"Oh..." Eli reached up to thread his fingers through the paler boys hair. Mantis let out a little half-sigh, leaning into it.

Well, at least something was sorted out, right?

"Let's... let's get back to lunch. You can have some of mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said this was a highschool AU not that everyone would be normal XD


End file.
